SUPER PLAY is once again in the house. The following is directly from the pages of that legendary publication

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What initially looks like a rather poor Wonder Boy clone actually turns out to be a top-notch arcade adventure, enlivened by some very versatile controls. These take getting used to, but once learnt prove to be extremely rewarding -- if a bit frustrating at times

Can you tell this is from 1992? We barely can....

Graphically Sandra's amixed affair, with bothlovely and rather drabbits. The main spritehas consistent appealthough, and the wayhe can jump and landon top of baddies withhis fork is a joy -- anda lot less disturbingthan it sounds!

The gameplay is as patchy as the background graphics, however -- at some points it's simply great fun, while other bits are a real pain

Throughout it all the generally melancholy sonics add tons to the game, even if they do get slightly repetitive. Indeed, the whole feel of the game is tear jerkingly sad -- not just the music, but also the plot (our hero has to collect various special herbs to help cure his dying son), and general atmosphere

Passwords are given at regular points, but it'll still take you a fair while to find the herbs, due to the fiendlishly designed levels

You can almost feel the boy's life draining away as you struggle w/ a particularly tricky section

A real discovery, then, and a game that offers the player a lot more than it first appears. Things get better and more complicated as you progress (indeed, it's fiendlishly difficult in certain sections) but don't let the Japanese text that crops up occasionally turn you off -- understanding it all is not crucial to gameplay. This is likely to remain an obscure game in the UK, though we expect something of a cult around it -- great fun -Jason Brookes

[Actually, it ended up receiving a UK release, very rare in this form known as WHIRLO -Me]

Graphics: 84%Sound: 89%Gameplay: 82%Gamelife: 91%

Overall: 88%

Verdict: A wonderfully versatile and highly unusual game that, as a slightly bizarre trip into Japanese eccentricity and mysticism, is hard to beat. Despite some infuriating sections, this is highly recommended, especially to hardcore gameplayers. One thing is for certain -- no one will finish this in a hurry

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

Whereas I agreed with Super Play regarding Super Ninja Kun, I have to disagree here. I found Sandra to be simply not all that fun. The control could use some work and I think 88% was way way too generous, and this came from a magazine that graded tough!

This game just didn't do much for me. It's one of the toughest platform games you'll find on the SNES/Super Famicom